Wells used in gas and oil recovery need to be satisfactorily plugged and sealed after the wells have reached their end-of life and it is not economically feasible to keep the wells in service. Plugging of wells is performed in connection with permanent abandonment of wells due to decommissioning of fields or in connection with permanent abandonment of a section of a well to construct a new well bore (known as side tracking or slot recovery) with a new geological well target.
A well is constructed by a hole being drilled down into the reservoir using a drilling rig and then sections of steel pipe, referred to as liner or casing, are placed in the hole to provide mechanical, structural and hydraulic integrity to the well bore. Cement is placed between the outside of the liner and the bore hole and then tubing is inserted into the liner to connect the well bore to the surface.
Once the reservoir has been abandoned, a permanent well barrier must be established across the full cross-section of the well. This is generally achieved by removal of the inner tubing from the well bore by means of a workover rig which pulls the tubing to the surface. The liner, or at least portions of the liner, is also typically removed by a rig which essentially mills it out.
Well barriers, usually called plugs, are then established across the full cross-section of the well. Typically the plugs are formed with cement. This isolates the reservoir(s) and prevents flow of formation fluids between reservoirs or to the surface. It is often necessary to remove the inner tubing and liner from the wellbore in order to set the cement plug against the formation and thereby avoid any leaks. This is the case whenever there were problems in setting the cement in the first place and/or if there are doubts about the quality of the cement sheath.
Improperly abandoned wells are a serious liability so it is important to ensure that the well is properly plugged and sealed. However, the number of steps and equipment involved, such as a rig, results in this stage being costly and time-consuming, at a time when the well no longer generates revenue. Significantly the deployment of the rig in the abandonment operation means it cannot be utilised in the preparation of a new well or well bore.